There were still people who came to visit him—for instance, the relatively detached Xiuzhen Lineages?
The cousins Dugu Lan and Xiao Qiang were the first guests in his courtyard. With a pot of fine tea, they sat and chatted there.
"Thank you once again..."
Dugu Lan had barely opened her mouth before Hou Niao stopped her.
"Please stop thanking me, fellow Daoist. You've thanked me twice in total, and both times I nearly died... Is there something important? If not, would you please leave?"
Neither cousin minded this almost rude bluntness. Cultivators always had their peculiarities. Beautiful creatures like them, for instance, never lacked people seeking their company, yet they were interested only in those who kept a respectful distance. That, too, was a kind of sickness.
The cousins merely expressed it differently. The younger cousin said nothing but stayed firmly planted in her seat; the elder was a chatterbox who always managed to make her arguments hold together. Put them together with Hou Niao, a man who lived by the law, and the result was quite comical.
Dugu Lan smiled sweetly, not the least embarrassed. So long as she felt no embarrassment, someone else would have to.
"We came to say goodbye. We'll be leaving for Miaogao Town early tomorrow morning. I wonder whether you'll come to see us off, Junior Brother Hou?"
Hou Niao showed no tenderness toward these delicate beauties. "No time..."
Dugu Lan's eyes shimmered. "That's why we came today, to say goodbye in advance."
Hou Niao was baffled. "I really don't understand. We were strangers before this, and we can hardly claim any friendship. Aren't you cousins afraid that coming to my courtyard will drag your Dugu Household down?"
Dugu Lan smiled faintly, full of charm. "That's because you don't understand how Xiuzhen Lineages survive!